Sheffield boxing: Kid Galahad is on the right path to a world title

Bob Westerdale

Sheffield’s Kid Galahad is on the verge of a crack at a world title after rising to number seven in the IBF featherweight rankings.

The Ingle boxer, aka Barry Abdul Awad, captured the vacant IBF Inter-Continental title recently and is “in striking distance of a final eliminator and then a world title” says trainer Dominic Ingle.

“Barry has had his ups and downs but the proof of the pudding is in the eating, he has stuck with training and carried on working hard which is why he’s at number seven.”

Galahad tested positive for banned substance stanozolol in September 2014 and received a two-year suspension, later reduced by six months after he convinced the authorities he had been the victim of a contaminated protein shake.

“There are other kids who have to take a year or a year and a half out through injury or whatever, like Atif Shafiq, Leigh Wood and Jordan Gill.

“The one thing about Barry was that even though he was banned he kept on training and applied himself” said Ingle.

“I could never see him taking drugs, he has got too much motivation and discipline for that.

Ideally, Galahad would walk into a fight with the champion Lee Selby.

“Anything can happen, he could get a straight crack at Selby” said Ingle.

“Or we might be able to sort something out with Dennis Ceylan, who he was supposed to fight.

“We want him to fight somebody high up the rankings so he can get to that eliminator.”

The number one position is vacant in the IBF so Barry would love to get in that position, he said.

“He is a patient man, he knows things take their time to happen.

“Barry doesn’t need six months to be ready- he will be ready when the call comes. When he gets the chance he’ll take it.”